


Cupid's Choice

by wckdsilver



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual!Richie, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Matchmaking, Romance, Valentine's Day, beverly just wants eddie to find love, but eddie is stubborn, until he meets richie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-03-14 21:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13598436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wckdsilver/pseuds/wckdsilver
Summary: Valentine's Day is coming up so Beverly convinces Eddie to sign up for a matchmaking program to help him find a date. He meets Richie and everything that happens after is far from what he expected.





	1. Cupid Makes His Choice

**Author's Note:**

> i thought of this idea the other day and just had to write it. i'm only planning on this to have a few chapters, so it probably won't be too long, but i hope you enjoy :)

It’s Valentine’s Day in five days and Beverly will not let up on trying to convince Eddie to find a date.

“Come on, it’ll be fun! You, me, Ben, and whatever nice-looking guy decides to come your way.”

Currently they are in Eddie’s room, sitting on his bed, and she is trying to convince Eddie to sign up for this matchmaker program where singles fill out a survey and it matches you up with another single who you meet at a special event so you have a date for Valentine’s Day. Eddie thinks it’s ridiculous.

“Beverly, I’m not signing up for some stupid matchmaker site. Who knows what kind of creeps are on those things looking for god knows what.”

“Pleaseeeee, it’s just for _one_ night. Well, technically two, but the first doesn’t have to count. Come on, live a little!” she pleads.

“No.”

“It’s the same every year for you. You always sit at home by yourself on Valentine’s Day, and I’m left feeling sorry for you while I’m out having fun with Ben.”

“So now you’re guilt tripping me. Gee, thanks. Besides, who says I don’t like sitting at home by myself on Valentine’s Day?” Eddie lies—to some extent.

“I don’t mean it like that, I just think it would be fun if we did something different for a change, like going on a double date. I mean you could just join us, but then you’re left feeling like the third wheel. And what kind of friend would that make me?”

“A generous one for staying out of my love life.”

“You don’t even _have_ a love life. But, if you listen to _me_ , however-”

“Alright, fine! If I sign up for this thing will you finally leave me alone?”

“Yay! Eddie, this is going to be so much fun!” She wraps her arms around Eddie excitedly. “Maybe if you’re lucky enough you’ll finally get a boyfriend!”

Eddie puts an arm around her—less excitedly. “Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. I’m only doing this to make you happy, there isn’t going to be any long-term relationship happening anytime soon.”

“Stop being so _negative_. You never know what could happen—you might even find your _soulmate_.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and pokes Eddie’s side teasingly. Eddie pushes her away.

“As if those sorts of things exist,” Eddie says, although he would never admit that he does like to wonder sometimes if there really is someone out there, made just for him. "And I highly doubt that my ‘soulmate’” he makes air-quotes with his fingers “would just so happen to be on some matchmaker site.”

“Never doubt the work of _Cupid_ , Eddie,” Beverly says with a wink.

“Whatever. Let’s get this over with I suppose.” Eddie gets up and makes his way over to his desk, and opens his laptop. “What’s the name of the website again?”

“It’s ‘www.cupidschoice.com’.”

“Kill me now,” Eddie says as he types the address into the search bar.

Beverly moves off the bed to hover over Eddie’s shoulder. “And then you just fill out all of your information and answer a few questions. Two days before Valentine’s Day it will email you your match, whom you will be meeting at the event that night.”

“How will I know what they look like?”

“You won’t. Everyone will have name tags and it will all be split up into different age groups. You’re eighteen, so you’ll be in the youngest age group.”

“Great, so I won’t even know if I’m meeting a psychopath or not. I could just be signing up for my death right now,” Eddie says as he begins filling out the information.

“What an optimist you are. Stop _worrying_ , it’s at the Derry town hall and I’ll be on speed-dial, you’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say, Bev. If I die, this is on you. And—even if he doesn’t turn out to be a psychopath—what if I don’t even like the guy? What if he’s a complete douche?”

“It’s just one date, Eddie—a double date at that. You’ll manage. If anything gets too out of hand, Ben and I will come to your rescue, but I’m positive this will work out. I only want to help you find someone worthy enough of your love, Eddie,” she says with a big smile.

Eddie can see that Beverly really does believe that this will work out. She looks so happy and thrilled that he’s finally putting himself out there. Eddie doesn’t want to destroy her happiness so he stops protesting and sighs as he presses submit on his answers.

_I really hope this will be worth it in the end_ , Eddie thinks.

* * *

_(1) unread email from Cupid’s Choice: The results are in!_

Eddie stares at the notification on his computer, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He’s almost tempted to grab his inhaler off of his dresser. He doesn’t understand why he’s so nervous. It’s not like he’s waiting to hear the most important news of his life, but then again, it has been a while since Eddie’s been in the dating field.

“Here goes nothing,” he says as he clicks on the email.

 

_Thank you for signing up with Cupid’s Choice! You have been matched with:_

_**Richard Tozier** _  
_**Age:** 18_  
_**Gender:** Male_  
_**Sexual Orientation:** Bisexual_  
_**Interests:** Music, comic books, your mom_  
_**Bio:** Richie Tozier is my name, doing Voices is my game. My friends call me Trashmouth, but you can call me anytime. Ha! Looking for someone who’s willing to have a fun time ☺_

_Congratulations on your match! We look forward to seeing you tonight!_

 

Eddie isn’t sure whether he’s relieved or not. He doesn’t sound like he’s a serial killer, which is a relief, but he doesn’t quite sound all that serious either. Eddie snorts and rolls his eyes at the ‘your mom’ part, and at the cheesy pick-up line.

_What am I getting myself into?_

Tonight, and one date. That’s all. He can do this. One night of fun with a total stranger and two friends won’t hurt, right? Even if he is an asshole, Eddie never has to see him again after Valentine’s Day if he doesn’t want to, anyways.

_Unless he’s a stalker_.

Eddie pinches himself.

_Stop worrying about every little thing! Like Bev said, you’ll be fine!_

Richie sounds like he could be a nice guy, or at least Eddie hopes he is.

_Here’s to hoping he’s cute_ , Eddie finds himself thinking as he calls Beverly to tell her the news.

“Sooo, what’s his name?”

“Richie Tozier.” The name sounds oddly nice coming from Eddie’s mouth. He decides he likes saying it. _Richie Tozier_.

He’ll never tell Bev this.

“Interesting. _Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak_. _Richie and Eddie_. _Eddie and Richie_. I like it! It has a nice ring to it. You guys already sound like the perfect couple!” she beams.

“I haven’t even _met_ him yet!”

“But you will tonight! I’m so excited for you, Eddie!”

“You’re probably more excited than I am. You should get a load of this dude’s bio.”

“I think you’ll feel better after you meet him. Then the real fun begins on Valentine’s.” Eddie can guess that she’s currently wearing an evil looking smirk.

“Right. Well, I guess I better figure out what I’m going to wear.”

“That’s the spirit! Knock ‘em dead, Eddie.”

“Talk to you later, Bev.”

“Bye, can’t wait to hear all about it!”

Eddie sighs as he hangs up. What _is_ he going to wear? He hopes Richie isn’t one to care too much.

* * *

Eddie decides on wearing jeans and a blue, knitted sweater. Nothing too fancy—this isn’t the actual date after all.

Beverly has just dropped him off at the town hall after picking him up from his house, looking giddy with excitement. Eddie had to tell his mom that he and Beverly were going out to see a movie in order to avoid suspicion. It’s most definitely better for her to _not_ know what he’s actually doing right now.

Eddie enters the hall and looks for his age group. He sees that there is actually quite a bit of people here, ranging from all ages—the youngest being his age.

_Richie could be any one of these people_.

He spots his age group—18-21—near the back and makes his way over to the table where they give him his name tag.

“Name?”

“Eddie Kaspbrak.”

“ID? We have to confirm your age and identity.”

“Oh, yeah. Here.” Eddie fumbles with his wallet and hands over his ID.

They look it over and check his name off of a list. “Here you go, and here’s the name tag. You’ve been matched with Richie Tozier who, I believe, arrived not too long ago.”

“Great, thank you.” Eddie takes the name tag and sticks it on his chest. He moves over to the side and tries to look through the sea of people for a boy with the name, Richie Tozier.

No luck.

He decides to walk around instead to see if he can find him, when all of a sudden, Eddie turns around as someone walks right into him, causing Eddie to fall on the floor.

Eddie is furious. “Jesus Christ, don’t you have eyes? Watch where you’re fucking going next time.”

“I do have eyes, actually, but they’re pretty shit, however, so that’s why I wear glasses. That’s kind of what they’re for, in case you didn’t know,” a male voice sneers. “Wait… _Eddie?_ Is that you?”

Eddie’s head snaps up at his name. He looks at the boy’s name tag. Standing in front of him is none other than: Richie Tozier.

Richie offers him a hand to help him up. Eddie takes it. “Yeah, well, maybe you should learn how to use them next time.” As Richie pulls him up, Eddie notices how tall he is. He’s got to be at least six feet tall. Although tall, he’s quite lanky as well, but the leather jacket he’s wearing compliments him very well. At the same time, Eddie can’t help but notice how cute he is too.

_Well, that’s one good thing at least_.

He likes Richie’s messy, dark, curly hair, and the glasses he’s wearing that magnify his dark eyes. Eddie also takes note of the freckles that are scattered across his nose and his cheeks.

_Very cute, indeed_.

That is, until he opens his mouth.

“So, you’re the famous Eddie Spaghetti! Wow, I’ve really hit the fucking jackpot with this one!”

_Living up to the name ‘Trashmouth’ I see_.

“Yeah, and how did I get matched up with you? There’s clearly a flaw in the system. And don’t call me that!”

“Ouch. Wish I’d known I’ve been matched up with a clumsy, _feisty_ , little one. Would’ve prepared better.”

“I’m not clumsy. You’re the one who walked into me!”

“I was only eagerly searching for my prince charming, Eds. Now that I’ve found him, he doesn’t seem quite so charming after all. Although, I will admit he’s pretty _cute_.” Richie winks at Eddie.

Eddie’s stomach flutters at that.

_No! You will not give in to his flirting! Stop that!_

“Don’t call me that, either! I’m telling you now that I’m only here because my friend made me sign up. She wants me to find a date so I can join her for a double date on Valentine’s Day, and I want to make her happy. And I guess I’m stuck with you for now, so don’t think I’m actually interested in you.”

“Wow, we’ve only just met and you’re already asking me out on a date! Let a man breathe, Eds!” Richie pretends to swoon.

“Forget it. I’ll tell her you didn’t show up or some shit like that. Surely I can find someone better than you—someone less annoying.” Eddie makes his way towards the door.

“Wait!” Richie grabs Eddie’s arm. Eddie looks at Richie’s hand on his arm; a tingling sensation is left where he’s touching him. “Look, you see, I’m not exactly here for the right reasons, either. My ex showed up the other day, begging me for a second chance. She keeps asking me to go out with her on Valentine’s Day and I’ve had enough of it, so I told her I was already seeing someone else, which, was a lie. Long story short, she doesn’t believe me, so she wants proof. I panicked, and I ended up here. It sounds stupid, I know, but just, anything to get her off my back will do.”

“So, it looks like we could both benefit from each other then.”

“Ding, ding, ding! You’re correct!” Richie aims finger guns at him.

“What kind of ‘proof’ is she looking for?”

“Anything that proves I have a new boyfriend or girlfriend. She works at a café downtown—maybe if we go down there tomorrow and act all couple-like in front of her, she’ll finally leave me alone. Then I can join you on this double date on Valentine’s Day. It’s a win-win situation.”

“Basically, what you’re saying, is that now I have to suffer through _two_ dates with you?”

“We don’t ever have to see each other again after this, if you don’t want.” Something in Richie’s voice makes it sound like he doesn’t want to never see Eddie again, but he’ll do whatever it takes to convince Eddie to go on this ‘date’ with him in order to get rid of his ex.

Eddie thinks this over. Richie seems pretty desperate to get rid of his ex, and what harm could it do to help him out while he helps Eddie get Beverly off of his back about finding a date? He supposes it _is_ a win-win situation, besides the fact he’ll have to deal with Richie’s trash mouth for the next two days, and acting like a couple in front of his ex could be interesting.

Eddie find’s himself agreeing. “Fine. It’s a deal.”

_I can’t believe I’m doing this_.

“Yes! Thank you!”

“On one condition: you don’t call me any more stupid nicknames.”

Richie laughs. “Where’s the fun in that? I can’t promise you that one, Eds.”

“Then the deal’s off,” Eddie jokes. _Half-jokes_.

Richie sighs. “Fine.” Suddenly, Richie gets down on one knee, grabs Eddie’s hand, and places a hand on his heart. “I solemnly swear to not call you any silly nicknames, or so help me.”

“What are you doing? People are staring.” Richie really is beyond like any other person Eddie has ever met.

_A true wonder he is_.

“So? Let ‘em stare.” Richie stands up and releases Eddie’s hand. “I guess I’ll pick you up around noon, tomorrow. Oh, here’s my number, by the way.” Richie grabs a pen and a slip of paper from the table and quickly scratches his number down. He hands Eddie the paper.

“Okay. I’ll text you my address.”

“Great, see ya then, Eds.”

Eddie frowns. “You just broke your promise, dumba-”

Eddie is cut off before he can protest any longer by Richie leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. Eddie instantly goes bright red, failing to hold back his blush, his heart beating faster.

“Wh-what was t-that for?”

“If we’re going to be the perfect couple we gotta start _somewhere_ , Eds,” he says with a bright, teasing smile. With that, Richie heads out the door, not letting Eddie have the last word.

Eddie stands there with his mouth open.

_What did I just agree to?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the first chapter! i would love to know what you think so far :)
> 
> my tumblr is eddiemylovc


	2. Fake Dates and Teddy Bears (Or Eddie Bears)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie go on their fake date to fool Richie's ex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo, valentine's day was over three months ago so i guess you could say this is quite overdue but i've been aiming to complete this fic so i stopped procrastinating and finally finished this chapter that i've had only half-written for awhile now.
> 
> enjoy!

“So, how did it go?! Is he nice? Is he an asshole? Do you like him? Is he attractive? Was there like, a spark between you guys? _Is he total boyfriend material?!_ ”

“Jesus, Bev, slow down.”

“Sorry! I’m just excited for you! But, is he??? C’mon, give me the details!”

Eddie is on the phone with Beverly, filling her in on how the meeting with Richie went. He’s decided not to tell her about the unexpected ‘date’ he has with Richie today, figuring she probably wouldn’t stop teasing him about it—she’s been teasing him enough as it is. He isn’t sure whether he’ll tell her about it later or not; he wants to see how it goes, first.

“I mean…he’s cute and all, but that’s beside the point because he has no filter _at all_. I don’t think I can stand to listen to his trash mouth for one more second.”

“Hmm, you don’t know him very well yet, you might get along with him more if you get to know him a little better. Did he agree to go on the double date tomorrow?”

_Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be getting to know him very well today_.

“Yeah. Then you can see how annoying he gets.”

“Well I can’t wait to meet him! I’m so happy you’re finally putting yourself out there, Eddie,” she says sincerely.

“Okay, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you when he starts to annoy the shit out of you.”

“Come on he can’t be that bad, he’s gotta have some redeeming qualities. You said he was cute, tell me a little more about _that_ ,” she says, the teasing clear in her voice.

Eddie’s mind begins to wander, thinking of Richie’s dark curls, how soft they look, and the dusting of freckles spread over his face. The way his big, puppy dog eyes sparkle through his glasses when he tells a joke, and how he smirks when he’s teasing Eddie, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to him.

_He’s quite beautiful, actually_ , Eddie wants to say.

Until Beverly snaps him out of his daydream. “Hellooo, Earth to Eddie, you still with me?”

“Sorry, Bev. Just got a little distracted.” So instead he says, “But yes, he is cute, and that’s all I’m going to tell you. You’ll have to wait and see tomorrow.” Eddie smiles.

“Damn you,” she laughs.

Eddie hears someone yelling in the background on the other side of the phone.

Beverly sighs. “I gotta go, my aunt wants me to help her with something. Hopefully you can tell me more later, you little tease. Bye!”

“Bye, Bev.” He hangs up.

Eddie looks at the time.

**_11:30 a.m._ **

Richie will be here to pick him up in thirty minutes. Eddie is thankful that his mom has to work today, otherwise he would’ve had to explain to her who Richie is. Even though Eddie is eighteen, she still tries to control his life. She doesn’t try to control him as much as she used to, considering Eddie is technically an adult now, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped completely. He’s already told her about the double date tomorrow, except he failed to mention that it was a date and told her instead that he was just joining Ben and Beverly for something to do instead of sitting at home on Valentine’s. She seemed to be okay with it. _For once_.

Eddie doesn’t know what to expect from today. He’s a little nervous at what Richie has in mind about acting like a couple, but a part of him is also intrigued to see how this goes. He’s hoping it goes well and that Richie doesn’t embarrass him _too much_.

Eddie spends the next half hour freshening up until he hears Richie knocking on the front door. He runs downstairs and opens the door. He nearly jumps out of his skin. There, standing on his front porch, is Richie with a giant stuffed teddy bear, almost as big as him. The bear is wearing a shirt that says ‘Be Mine, Valentine’ on it. Eddie is a bit taken aback, expecting to see Richie’s face, not the bear’s.

Richie waves the teddy bear’s arm and speaks in a high-pitched voice. “Hello! Are you ready to go, Eddie- _bear?_ I couldn’t _bear_ waiting any longer to see your cute face!” Richie lowers the bear to reveal his face, wearing a big, dorky smile. He’s practically glowing. Eddie tries to hold back his own smile.

_And so it begins_.

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, but I did. I saw this down at the _maul_ with my _beary_ own eyes and just had to get it for you, Eds!”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Are you finished with the bear puns, or am I gonna have to shut this door in your face? And don’t call me that!”

“ _Fur_ the love of God, loosen up a little, Eddie!”

Eddie smirks and shakes his head. “You’re un _bear_ able, you know that?”

Richie laughs. “Now we’re talking!” Richie sets the bear down inside, beside the door. He ruffles Eddie’s hair as Eddie promptly pushes him away. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

They walk to Richie’s car and make their way to the café. Richie teases Eddie the whole way there about how excited he is for their ‘date’. Eddie reminds him several times that they’re not actually dating, but Richie just says, “I’m only trying to fit the mood, Eds. We gotta make it look believable, since you’re supposed to be my boyfriend for the day, remember.”

“Unfortunately,” Eddie says.

Richie clutches his heart. “You wound me, Eds.”

Once they reach the café, before entering, Richie pulls Eddie aside. “When we go in, just follow my lead. I’m warning you now that Cindy gets jealous very easily, trust me when I say she’s possessive, so beware if she says anything, well… _bitchy_ ,” he says.

“Wonderful. I hope you know what you’re doing.” Eddie _really_ hopes Richie knows what he’s doing. He’s not really in the mood to make any enemies today, especially if they’re Richie Tozier’s ex.

“Just trust me.” Then, Richie’s voice goes soft. “Is it okay if we, um…if we start off by walking in, like…holding hands?” he says with a kind smile.

Suddenly the butterflies in Eddie’s stomach are back. “Okay…”

Richie takes Eddie’s hand and entwines their fingers. His hand is warm, a little sweaty.

_Is he nervous?_

Eddie thinks he sees Richie blushing. Eddie takes note of this information, almost enjoying the idea that he’s made Richie—flirty, always confident Richie—like this.

_Me? Making Richie Tozier nervous? Who would’ve saw that one coming?_

Eddie decides that he likes seeing this newly discovered soft side of Richie.

They walk into the café, hands entwined. Eddie likes the feeling of Richie’s hand in his, likes the feeling it gives him. He moves his thumb slowly back and forth over Richie’s skin, unaware that he’s even doing so. Eddie doesn’t know what Richie’s ex looks like so he isn’t sure if she’s noticed them walk in yet or not. Eddie tries to act natural, like he’s here on a date with his ‘boyfriend’ and _not_ like he’s here just to fool said boyfriend’s ex.

They walk over to a booth. Richie releases Eddie's hand and sits down on one side while Eddie proceeds to sit down on the other.

Richie perks an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" He smirks, tilting his head playfully.

_Dear God, will you ever stop with that smirk?!_

Eddie gives him a 'what do you think I'm doing' look. "Uh...sitting down...the same as you're doing?"

Richie clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Nuh uh uh, you're defying the rules of being a cute couple. You're supposed to sit beside me while I put an arm around you as you cuddle into me and I boop your nose, while everyone else looks at us in mock disgust because ugh, 'dumb teenagers in love', _amirite?_ " His pouted lips continue to curl up into that _infuriating_ smirk, savouring every little tease that makes Eddie look like he wants to punch him.

_I'm about to wipe that smug look right off of his perfect, stupid face if he doesn't stop_.

"You can't be serious," Eddie says.

"Better hurry up and make up your mind, Eds,” Richie leans forward and whispers, “before Cindy makes her way over here. Remember, we need to make it look as-"

"-believable as possible, yeah yeah, I get it. Fine, but if your dirty, not-so-little finger that’s been God knows where comes anywhere _near_ my nose, I'm letting Cindy know that she can have your irritating ass all she wants," Eddie grumbles as he gets up from his seat.

“Well she’s gonna have to get in line because everyone wants a piece of my ass.” Richie wiggles his eyebrows. Eddie takes one look at him and starts to move in the direction of the doors. "Alright! I’m kidding, get over 'ere. Have some Tozier lovin'," Richie speaks in a British accent. He makes a gesture with his hand and scoots over in the booth.

"You’re on thin fucking ice, Tozier." Eddie moves to sit down beside Richie.

“Still a bit feisty I see.” Eddie glares at him. _Oh, if looks could kill_. Richie wraps an arm around him and Eddie does proceed to cuddle into him, resting his head on Richie's shoulder. Eddie can smell his cologne, along with the lingering smell of cigarette smoke. Eddie scrunches his nose at the scent. "What cologne are you wearing?"

Richie looks down at him. "Why? Do you like it? Wore it just to impress you, Eds." Richie boops Eddie's nose. "Gotcha!" He laughs at the look on Eddie's face—steam is practically coming out of his ears.

Eddie punches his side. "What did I just tell you about booping my nose?!" Eddie _hates_ being treated like he is some kind of precious animal; he gets enough of that from his mother.

"Ow! Sorry, but you can't go making a face _that_ cute at me with your little button nose and expect me not to do that," he says in-between laughter.

Eddie hits him again, but this time he's smiling. He can’t help it when Richie is laughing so hard. "I fucking hate you, you know."

"The way you’re smiling at me says otherwise, plus hitting me isn't going to prove that we're a couple!"

"Yeah? What about this?" Eddie kicks his foot underneath the table.

“Oh, you are so on!” They continue to bicker and hit at each other—laughing so hard they can barely breathe, with people around them giving them weird stares that definitely don’t say ‘look at those dumb teenagers in love’—before they're interrupted.

"Hello, can I get you guys anything? Umm..."

Eddie looks up as he has his hand over Richie's mouth.

"Wait, Richie?"

Richie moves Eddie's hand. "Cindy! How nice to see you, I _totally_ forgot you worked here." Richie puts his arm around Eddie again and taps his shoulder, signalling Eddie to cuddle into him once more.

"Cut the bull, what are you doing here, Richie?" Cindy says. Her eyes travel to where Richie's arm rests around Eddie's shoulder.

"Can’t a guy enjoy a nice day out? I'm here on a date with my boyfriend! I've told you I’m seeing someone new before, haven’t I? This is Eddie. Eddie, meet Cindy."

"Hi." Eddie waves his hand awkwardly, feeling out of place in the midst of this sudden tension.

She looks at Eddie with little to no interest. "Acknowledged. Whatever, I don't have time for this right now, what can I get you?"

"We haven't actually looked at the menu yet, can you give us another few minutes?" Richie says.

She scoffs. “No wonder, seeing as you two have been too busy hitting each other instead, on this so-called date.”

“All in good fun.” Richie smiles. She sighs and gives Richie a mocking smile before rolling her eyes as she walks away, clearly annoyed.

"Well that went well so far, don't you think?" Richie says.

"She only almost bit both of our heads off, but sure," Eddie replies.

“Yeah, well, you get used to it after going out with her for nearly four years.”

Eddie suddenly understands why Richie wants to get rid of her for good so badly. He doesn’t think he could picture Richie dating someone like that anyways and Richie deserves better than that. He wonders how he managed to stay with her for four years.

_He did say she was possessive_.

“I guess I see why you were so desperate for an excuse now.”

“You haven’t seen the worst of it, trust me. Let’s just hope this date works. Now, what shall we order?” Richie grabs the menu sitting on the side of the table. “Look! They have a Valentine’s Day ice cream special! What’s more romantic than sharing ice cream? Whaddaya say, Eddie-bear?” He pinches Eddie’s cheek. Eddie shoves his hand away.

“I thought we were done with that. But I could really go for some ice cream right now. Who needs lunch?”

“That’s the spirit!” Richie kisses Eddie’s cheek. Eddie gives him a startled look, his face heating up. “Don’t kill me! I’m only playing the part.”

“I still can’t believe I’m doing this. Why did I agree to this again?”

“Because I am the most perfect, beautiful, wonderful, amazing boyfriend you could ever ask for?”

Eddie scoffs. “Keep telling yourself that.” In all honesty, Eddie does think Richie would make a wonderful boyfriend. Besides his constant annoying teasing, he has been very kind and considerate, and you would definitely never get bored around him. He knows how to make someone feel special—anyone would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend. Though, Eddie would never admit this to him.

_I refuse to fuel his ego any bigger than it already is_.

“You really know how to flatter a guy, Eds, but I will, thank you very much. I’ll even pay for this date because I am just _that_ amazing of a boyfriend.”

Eddie shakes his head. “No, Richie, I’ll pay. You don’t need to waste your money on me.”

“No, I’m paying. That’s what boyfriends do, we help each other out because we’re generous so I’ll pay.”

“Fuck that, I’m paying.”

“No, I am.”

“ _I_ am.”

“Eddie, _I_ will pay. It’s not a very big deal. You’re not gonna win this argument.”

Eddie huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. Richie still has his arm around Eddie—he smiles in victory. They fall into silence for several moments until Eddie gets an idea.

“Richie?”

“Yes, my little sugar plum?”

Eddie grins and presses a gentle kiss to Richie’s cheek. He whispers in Richie’s ear. “I’m paying.”

Now it’s Richie’s turn to go bright red. For once, he doesn’t say anything back. That shut him up. Instead he looks at Eddie with a big, goofy smile.

_How can he be so infuriating yet look so cute at the same time?_

“I win,” Eddie says as he rests his head on Richie’s shoulder.

Richie looks impressed. “If I continue this argument, does that mean you’ll shut me up with a kiss on the lips next?”

Eddie blushes. He kicks Richie’s leg. “In your dreams, Trashmouth.”

“It is. Oh, look, here comes Cindy. Perfect timing.” Richie leans down to whisper in Eddie’s ear. “Now’s your shot to kiss me again.” Eddie’s heart pounds.

Cindy stops in front of their table. “Have you made a decision yet, or are you two still too busy fighting?”

“A decision has been made! We’ll have the Valentine’s Day ice cream sundae special. And with two spoons, please. We’ll share,” Richie says.

She jots the order down on her notepad and walks away without saying another word. She must have seen the interaction before-hand, not happy that Richie might actually be telling the truth about the fact that he’s seeing someone else.

“I asked for two spoons, so we can share one sundae and you can pay less. See what a thoughtful boyfriend I am?”

Eddie shakes his heads. “You just won’t give up, will you?” he huffs.

Richie boops Eddie’s nose again. “Nope!” This time Eddie just scrunches his nose up at the gesture.

_Might as well just get used to it_.

“You’re so fucking cute, Eds. And I’m not just saying that as your fake boyfriend, but genuinely, you are so cute. The cutest boy in the whole world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone cuter.”

Eddie’s stomach does a billion backflips at once. He doesn’t know how to take the compliment, no one’s ever praised him so highly before. “Shut up. I am not.”

“Yes, you are and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees, including you if I have to. Now, you shut up and let me give you an eskimo kiss because Cindy is currently walking towards us with the ice cream.”

Eddie looks up and sees her coming towards them. He tries to make up his mind quickly. “Fuck it, fine.” He leans in as Richie presses his nose against his. The butterflies pick up speed in his stomach. Richie is wearing an unbelievably big smile on his face. The gesture is very cheesy; Eddie has always hated public displays of affection—especially when he saw other couples doing it, he would always gag at the sight; _think of the germs you’re spreading between each other and besides, nobody wants to see that!_ —but a part of him can’t help but secretly love this, at least, now that he’s on the receiving end of it. Eddie rubs his nose against Richie’s, his heart soaring, and he feels like he’s one of those couples in a cheesy rom-com movie.

_This is fake, remember! You and Richie are not a couple, and you are not a part of some cheesy rom-com movie, chasing after the boy! You will not develop feelings!_

Although, Eddie feels like those feelings might have already developed right from the moment he met Richie.

Cindy slams the ice cream down on the table, causing them to break apart. They look up at her. She has the most menacing smile on her face, a smile filled with pure jealousy, no joy behind it at all. “Enjoy,” she says with all of the sarcasm behind it she can muster. She sends Eddie a look, almost as if sending him a warning before she walks off again.

Eddie almost wants to fight her himself. _Almost_.

_Richie broke up with you! He’s not interested, leave him alone!_

“Okay then,” Richie says. “Looks like she’s taking it harder than I thought she was going to. And it’s not even like we’ve done _that_ much.”

Eddie glares at the back of her head from where she’s standing. “You said she wanted proof, so we gave her proof. What’s she going to do about it?”

“Yeah, but what if this doesn’t get rid of her? What if she just starts seeing this as a competition and keeps trying to use me?”

“Then you’ll just have to prove to her that you have no interest in her at all whatsoever.”

Richie smirks at him. “And what would I be interested in, instead?”

Eddie knows the answer he’s looking for. He decides to just give in. “Me.”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Now, shut up and eat the damn ice cream.” Eddie hands him a spoon. The sundae is a mix of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, with red and pink sprinkles, and a cherry on top. A straw that is shaped into a heart is also placed in it. The two of them dig in, savouring the sweet, filling flavour of the dessert. They even decide to feed each other the ice cream with their spoon whenever Cindy is looking at them. Eddie doesn’t want to admit that he’s actually enjoying himself. Eddie also decides to give Richie a taste of his own medicine and teases _him_ by performing an old trick. He eats the cherry and places the stem in his mouth, using his tongue to form the stem into a knot. He sticks out his tongue to show Richie his creation.

It’s easy to say Richie is most _definitely_ impressed. He stares at Eddie in amazement. “Wow, Eds. Think you could should me what else you can do with that tongue?”

“Oh my God, Richie!” Eddie flushes tremendously.

“Okay, okay, maybe not on the first date, but on the second date, however…”

“SHUT UP!” Eddie shoves him, giggling. Richie laughs so hard he nearly cries.

After they finish up, Eddie notices that Richie has a bit of ice cream on his upper lip.

Almost as if on instinct, Eddie reaches up and uses his thumb to wipe the ice cream off of Richie's mouth. Richie watches him with big, soft eyes through his glasses. Eddie stares back. Eddie thinks he could easily get lost in those dark brown eyes. He can almost see a future in them, one where they're together and Eddie gets to wake up to those eyes and mop of curly hair that he can run his fingers through every morning. His heart secretly longs for a future like that.

"I could've easily licked that off myself, you know," Richie whispers, the softest smile planted on his face.

Eddie realises then how close their faces have gotten and that his hand is still lingering against Richie's jaw.

"Well, I thought I'd switch it up and be the generous boyfriend now," Eddie utters. Richie chuckles fondly. He reaches up to place a hand over Eddie's wrist, holding his hand against his cheek. Eddie's breath catches. He doesn't want to look away.

That wish is broken when he hears Cindy clear her throat behind him. Eddie jumps away. “Is there anything else I can get you guys?” She says, sounding bored.

Richie looks at Eddie. He shakes his head. “No, I think that’ll be everything,” Richie says.

“Great, I don’t have to sit through this love-fest _torture_ anymore. I’ll grab the bill.” She turns to leave.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “I think Richie said the same thing after he broke up with you.” Eddie slaps his hand over his mouth, realising what he had just said out loud. Richie gapes at him.

Cindy turns back around. “ _Excuse me?_ ” She moves closer and leans in towards Eddie. “What did you just say to me?”

“What you needed to hear. I don’t think you understood what Richie meant when he said he was _breaking up_ with you. I think you need a dictionary,” he replies, not backing down.

“And I don’t think you understand that we actually have history together. Shit you know _nothing_ about, so why don’t you just back off,” she challenges.

Richie speaks up. “Hey, get away from him. Just go get the bill, Cindy.”

She turns towards him. “And since when did he make you his bitch? How much you paying him?” she hisses.

“Don’t speak to him like that!” Eddie retorts. “Just leave him alone, he doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore. Why can’t you just accept that he might actually be happy? If you really cared about him you would understand that, so why don’t you just delete his number and move on!”

“I think you might need to put your bitch on a leash, Richie.” She smirks.

Richie stands up in defense. Eddie gets up with him and takes his hand. “Okay, that’s enough. This isn’t worth it, Rich, we’re out of here,” he interrupts before Richie can say anything. Eddie digs through his pocket and pulls out a ten-dollar bill. He shoves it at Cindy. “Here, keep the damn change, I don’t care.” Eddie starts to pull Richie in the direction of the doors.

“You know, you will _never_ love Richie like I do!” She yells back at them. Eddie stops walking. He makes a quick decision on the spot and pulls Richie down to him by his collar. Eddie crashes his lips against Richie’s. He tastes like the ice cream they’ve just been eating and Eddie can’t help but smile, finally letting the butterflies in his stomach burst free. He throws out his middle finger towards Cindy as he licks over Richie’s mouth.

“Wow,” Richie whispers to him as they pull away, a grin planted on his face that is mesmerized by Eddie’s sudden boldness. Eddie grabs his hand again and they walk outside the doors, the people around them staring at them in amusement.

They walk to Richie’s car. Once they’re inside, Eddie releases a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Richie is still smiling.

“Oh would you wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, I was just doing you a favour,” Eddie chirps.

Richie scoffs. “I don’t know, Eds, it felt pretty special to me. No one’s ever stood up for me like that before. And besides, that confidence you showed back there was probably the hottest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. You never cease to amaze me, Eds.”

Eddie blushes at the compliment. “Yeah, well, she deserved it. You shouldn’t have to put up with her bullshit anymore.”

“Thank you though, really. For all of this. I never would’ve thought you’d actually go on this fake date with me. It means a lot to me,” he says sincerely.

“Well, you get to return the favour by going on this double date with me tomorrow don’t forget.”

“And will we still act like a couple?”

Eddie considers this. “I think we can tone it down a little. Beverly doesn’t know about this ‘date’ today so she’ll be thinking that I don’t know you very well yet. I just want her to feel happy that I’m trying. _For her_.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it,” Richie says.

The ride home is silent, with the exception of Richie making a few jokes here and there. Eddie tries not to think about their deal, remembering one tiny detail.

_“We don’t ever have to see each other again after this, if you don’t want.”_

Eddie finds he _does_ want to see Richie again after this but isn’t so sure if he can muster up the confidence to tell him that. Or if Richie will still want to see him. After all, he did help get rid of Richie’s ex so all that’s left is for Richie to complete his end of the deal and then they’re done. Who’s to say whether they’ll continue to see each other or not?

They reach Eddie’s house. Eddie unbuckles his seatbelt. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing. See ya later, Eddie Spaghetti. I had a fun time.”

Eddie smiles. “Me too.”

Richie ruffles his hair before he leans in and places a kiss on Eddie’s cheek. Eddie doesn’t bother pointing out that they don’t have anyone to prove to at the moment that they’re dating.

Later that night, when Eddie’s in bed—the bear Richie gave him staring back at him from across the room, which Eddie had to convince to his mother that he bought for himself—he finds himself staring at the ceiling and smiling, unable to stop thinking of the interactions they shared earlier that day, _their kiss_ , and how he really can’t wait to see that freckled, puppy-eyed trashmouth again tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! again i apologize for the long wait (if there's anyone even still reading this, if you are ily). i have one more chapter planned that i'll try not to put off for another three months, and maybe one more if anyone wants it.
> 
> please let me know what you think! :)


	3. Richie Blesses the Rains Down in Africa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Richie's Valentine's Day double date with Ben and Beverly.

Eddie's room is in shambles. Every piece of clothing he owns is strewn all over the floor; he can't decide on a single outfit. He doesn't know why this should even be such a big deal, anyways. He's never cared that much about what he wears before. It's not like he's trying to impress anybody. _Is he?_

In one-hour Richie will be here to pick Eddie up for their double date and then they'll be meeting Ben and Beverly at the Derry bowling alley. Before panic starts to settle in, Eddie finally narrows his choices down to two and snaps a picture of himself in each outfit to send to Beverly so she can help him decide. After all she does want the best for him.

**_Eddie:_ ** _Please! Help! Me! I'm having a crisis and Richie will be here in an hour! Idk which one, 1 or 2?!?!?_

In a rush and without realising what he's doing, Eddie presses send just as he sees that he's sent the photos to Richie by mistake. " _Fuck!_ " Eddie curses out loud. "No, no, no, no, no! Shit!"

His mother knocks on his door. "Eddie? Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I'm fine, Ma! I just...uh—stubbed my toe! I'm okay!" Eddie says as he taps furiously on his phone like it's going to help him in this situation.

"Okay...well, be a little more careful next time, sweetie. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Eddie types out a new text.

**_Eddie:_ ** _Omg please ignore that, it was meant to go to Bev._

Eddie throws his phone to the side and lies back on his bed. "I'm so fucked."

His phone dings. He groans in embarrassment as he grabs it and checks the message.

**_Richie:_ ** _Wooooww Eds, looking snazzy! Didn't know this date would be such a cause for a fashion crisis! I hope u know that my heart is now swelling at the thought of my opinion meaning so much to you ;)_

Eddie rolls his eyes and types out a reply.

**_Eddie:_ ** _Who uses the word snazzy anymore? And I don’t care about your opinion dickhead, I just wanna look good for me is that ok with you? :p_

Eddie's phone dings again.

**_Richie:_ ** _Uhh I do. Have u even met me?? But that is perfectly fine with me, I love a man who’s confident_

**_Richie:_ ** _And I would go for option 2 btw. Although no matter what you wear I know that you'll look beautiful._

**_Richie:_ ** _As always_

Eddie feels his cheeks heat up at that. He fails to hold back a smile as the adrenaline dies down from his little mishap. Eddie knows that compliment doesn't really mean anything—Richie’s just teasing him again—and that there’s a possibility they’ll never stay in touch after tonight, but his heart can't help but pound at the thought of Richie seeing him as beautiful.

**_Eddie:_ ** _…_

**_Eddie:_ ** _Shut up._

Before Eddie can become any more of a love-sick idiot, he sets his phone down again and decides to wear option one instead of giving into what Richie wants, so that he doesn't appear _too_ desperate. Also because he’s stubborn as hell.

He finishes up getting ready and before he knows it Richie is ringing the doorbell. Eddie leaves his room to answer the door.

"Who's at the door?" his mother yells from her room upstairs.

"It's just Beverly, Ma!" Eddie lies. "I'm going out with her and Ben for Valentine’s Day, remember?"

"Right. Don't be out too late then, and make sure you dress warmly. It's chilly out there!"

"Yes, Ma!" Eddie grabs his jacket and opens the door to see Richie with a bouquet of flowers. He steps outside and shuts the door behind him.

Richie looks him up and down and smiles. "So, you went with option one I see, even after my advice.” He shakes his head. “Tsk, tsk. Either way you look adorable, Eds."

"Look, I told you it was meant for Beverly, not you. I don't need your validation." Eddie won’t say it but he thinks Richie looks adorable as well.

"Ouch. Whatever you say, Spagheds." He steps forward and leans in to give Eddie a kiss on the cheek. He hands him the flowers. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Once again Eddie doesn't point out that they're not actually dating and have no one to prove to, now. He guesses he's gotten used to Richie's affection by now.

_Wrong_.

"Thank you, they’re beautiful. You really didn't have to, though, especially after the giant bear you already gave me."

Richie just shrugs. "I like to spoil people."

"I didn't even get you anything," Eddie says. He feels a little bad.

"Don't worry about it. Your existence is good enough of a gift for me."

Eddie scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Jerk."

"Oh, and also," Richie takes another step closer to Eddie and takes one of the flowers "here's a great way to make your option number one look look even better." He gently places the flower in Eddie's hair behind his ear, letting his fingers linger in his hair for a moment—Eddie's breath hitches—before stepping back. "Voila! Amazing."

"Uh, thanks, I guess? Can we go now? They'll be waiting for us there."

"Sure thang." Richie points finger guns at him.

They drive to the bowling alley with Eddie lecturing him not to embarass him in front of Ben and Beverly. Richie's only response is that he can't 'make any promises'. Eddie elbows him.

Once they reach the bowling alley, they walk inside to meet Eddie’s two friends. He spots Beverly and she waves at him excitedly before bouncing over to give him a tight hug. “Eddie! I’m so glad you made it!”

“Hey, Bev! Hey, Ben!” He pats Ben on the back.

“Great to see you, Eddie,” Ben replies with a smile.

They both look over at Richie. Eddie introduces him to them. “Richie, this is my best friend, Beverly Marsh, and her boyfriend, Ben Hanscom. Guys, this is my date, Richie Tozier, who I was unfortunately matched up with on a matchmaker website, as you may have known.”

Richie hits Eddie’s arm playfully for that before shaking both of his friends’ hands. “I’m actually his other half, he just doesn’t know it yet. Cupid even said so.”

Beverly laughs and raises her eyebrows up at Eddie. “Ignore him, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about ninety percent of the time,” Eddie protests.

“Ninety-five percent of the time, actually,” Richie says.

“Wow, well, I’m glad you found someone, Eddie,” Beverly says.

“See, Eds? At least someone can appreciate my wonderful existence,” Richie claims. Eddie scoffs.

“Well, shall we get bowling, my friends?” Ben cuts in.

“Oh, I am so kicking all of your asses at bowling!” Richie shouts. “Y’all better be prepared.”

Eddie snorts. “Wait till you see Beverly out there, you should be the one preparing to get your ass kicked!”

“Eddie, stop, I’m blushing!” Beverly cries.

“Hmm, I don’t know, we’ll see about that,” Richie says. “But you are so on, Miss Marsh!”

They take time to set up and grab their lane. When they go to grab their bowling shoes, Richie nearly cries at how tiny Eddie’s feet are when he sees his shoe size. Eddie flushes furiously. “Don’t make fun of me when you’ve got clown feet!”

“Hey, you know what they say about a man with big feet. But, I take pride in my feet and you should too! Every inch of you is adorable, including your little feet,” he teases. “And other things. I imagine.”

Eddie pushes him over while he’s bent down tying his shoes.

Once they’re at their lane, Richie takes the responsibility of putting in each of their names, ignoring all of their protests.

**_Ben Handsome_ **   
**_Molly Ringwald_ **   
**_Edward Spaghedward_ **   
**_The Man, The Myth, The Legend_ **

“Really? You are so full of yourself,” Eddie comments.

“Just wait, you’re gonna see it’s true when I beat you all,” Richie says as he points at them. He claps his hands. “Alright, Benny Boy! You’re first up!”

Ben steps up while Beverly hypes him up. “Woohoo! Let’s go Ben!!!”

He ends up with a strike on his first try. Beverly cheers wildly and gives him a cheerful kiss on the lips as he picks her up and spins her around. Eddie is very impressed to say the least. “Good job, Ben!” Eddie says to him while giving him a high-five as he sits down.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves an underdog!” Richie exclaims in an announcer’s voice.

“Let’s see _you_ do that, Richie,” Eddie says to him.

“Oh, you just wait, little one. I’ve got some pretty handy tricks up my sleeve.”

Beverly starts off nicely with a spare. Eddie high-fives her as he gets up for his turn.

Richie pretends to be a cheerleader behind him. “Let’s go, Spaghetti, let’s go!”

Eddie grabs a ball and prepares to roll it. “Nice ass, Kaspbrak!” Richie shouts from behind. Eddie gives him the finger. On his first try the ball ends up in the gutter, while on his second try he knocks down six pins.

“Better luck next time, Eds! Now, watch and learn as the real master steps up to the plate.” Richie gets up. He grabs a ball and steps up to the lane. He does a little dance move and blows on the ball dramatically, like he’s preparing it to get him a strike. Eddie laughs fondly at his act. He rolls the ball and it ends up knocking down all the pins in the middle, leaving one on each side. Richie curses. “Fuck!” Eddie laughs harder; the others are laughing, too. On his second try he doesn’t hit any of the pins and the ball ends up in the gutter.

“That was just a warm up so it doesn’t count. You just wait,” Richie says as he sits down beside Eddie.

“God, how long are we supposed to wait for—till Christmas? You can keep saying that, but I don’t believe you. My money’s on Ben or Beverly.”

“Aww, what a supportive boyfriend you are!” Richie pinches his cheek.

Eddie pushes his hand away. “Okay, first of all, you’re not my boyfriend, and second of all, it’s just facts.”

“And what about yourself? What if you win?”

“I already know I suck at bowling and I think you need to face the fact that you do, too,” Eddie teases.

Richie scoffs. “Harsh. Guess who’s not getting you anymore teddy bears or flowers then? I only spoil the people that actually appreciate me and my bowling skills.”

“You don’t have any skills.”

“I think your mom would have to disagree with you on that one, Eds.”

“ _Bowling skills_. Don’t be gross.”

“Eddie! It’s your turn! Are you done flirting?” Beverly interrupts.

Eddie gets up for his turn and the rest of the game goes by fairly quickly, the four of them completely enjoying themselves. During each of Richie’s turns he does a dramatic warm up before rolling the ball. He even manages to get in trouble at least once by one of the employees for sliding halfway down the lane on his knees when he rolls the ball. Eddie’s cheeks start to hurt from smiling so hard. He teases Richie for his ridiculousness but he secretly loves seeing him up there all smiley and goofy. Eventually, Richie finally gets his well-deserved strike and Eddie can’t help but feel happy for him after he’s been trying so hard to get one and claiming he’s the best. They all go wild when it happens.

“WOOOOO!” Richie yells. He picks Eddie up and spins him around excitedly. Eddie is laughing so hard he can barely breathe. Richie sets him down again. “And THAT’S how it’s done, folks!” he preaches.

“It only took you—'the master of bowling’—umm, how many turns?” Ben says. Eddie and Beverly tear up laughing.

Eddie turns towards Richie. “Only because you’ve been trying so hard, I guess I’ll give you a reward.” He plants a soft kiss on Richie’s cheek. Richie beams. Beverly and Ben cheer.

“Man, I need to get a strike more often,” Richie gushes.

“Don’t worry, I can teach ya,” Beverly says, winking at him.

When the game finishes, Beverly does end up kicking all of their asses and lands in first place. Ben ends up in second place, while Richie ends up in third with Eddie not too far behind him in fourth. Beverly brags about her win while Richie rolls his eyes. “I think what matters most here is that we _all_ tried our best. There shouldn’t be any winners or losers because we’re a team,” he says. The rest of them groan in response.

“Now, anyone hungry?” Beverly asks. “There’s a restaurant next door I was thinking we could go to. Plus, I hear it’s _karaoke night!_ ” she sings excitedly.

“Oh no,” Eddie cringes. “Please, no.”

“Oh yes!” Richie says.

“Richie, if you get up there and sing horribly, I’ll officially act as if I don’t know you.”

“You won’t have to do that because I’ll make you come up there with me,” he teases.

Eddie laughs. “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he says, challenging him.

They walk over to the restaurant and grab a booth somewhat close to the karaoke stage. Ben slides in beside Beverly while Eddie slides in beside Richie across from them. They chat while they look through the menu, deciding what they want to eat. Later, a waiter comes over to their table and introduces himself before taking each of their orders. Once he leaves, Richie sits back in the booth and smoothly places an arm around the back of it, behind Eddie. Eddie subtly leans into him, trying not to think about their fake date from yesterday.

“So, has anyone noticed how cute little Eds looks here, tonight?” Richie smirks. Eddie elbows him. Both Ben and Beverly laugh.

“You do look very cute, Eddie,” Beverly says. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear that sweater before. It suits you.” She smiles.

Eddie blushes. “Thanks.”

“What’s with the flower, though?” she asks, tapping her head.

Eddie forgot it was even there.

“It was my own personal touch,” Richie says. “Did he tell you about his little mishap he had earlier?” he mentions. Eddie puts his head in his hands and groans.

“Please don’t.”

That sparks Beverly’s interest. She looks at Eddie curiously. “No, he didn’t. What did he do?”

Eddie starts to explain. “It was just a stupid text message meant to go t-”

Richie cuts him off. “Well, it turns out he was having a _fashion crisis_ and couldn’t decide on what outfit to wear so he-”

Eddie clamps a hand over his mouth. “Please don’t listen to him. He’s wrong.”

Richie removes his hand. “So he snapped a couple pictures—which were like, selfie _goals_ by the way, we love a fashion icon—and he sent them to me asking which one I liked better and I just felt _so_ flattered that he wanted my opinion. Then he started making excuses about how it was meant to go to you, Beverly, and that it was a mistake. I didn’t believe him so I gave him my opinion anyway and he didn’t even listen! But he still looks amazing so it doesn’t matter.” Richie beams at him.

Eddie scoffs. “I fucking told you, they really were meant to go to Bev, and I also said I didn’t _need_ your opinion I just couldn’t make a decision!”

“Excuses, excuses.” He shakes his head.

“Hmm, I never ended up receiving these photos. Suspicious. Why is that, Eddie?” Beverly says. She smiles mischievously.

Richie gasps. “The plot thickens!”

“Because I finally came to a decision, is that alright with you all?” Eddie argued.

“It’s okay, I believe you, Eddie,” Ben says and smiles.

Eddie places a hand over Ben’s arm across the table. “You always were my favorite, Ben.” He pretends to tear up. Richie and Beverly try to catch their breath from laughing so hard.

“You’re always so fun to tease, Eds,” Richie says. Beverly gives Eddie a suspicious look at that but doesn’t say anything.

“I like you, Tozier,” she says.

“And I you, Miss Marsh,” he replies. They high-five across the table.

The waiter comes around with each of their drinks. “So, how long have you two been dating?” Richie says after the waiter leaves, pointing at Ben and Beverly.

“Over two years now, I believe,” Ben replies. He looks at Beverly with one of the most loving expressions Eddie has ever seen. Beverly places a hand over his and squeezes it, smiling at him. Eddie was so happy for them when he learned that they were dating. He always knew Ben was the one for Beverly and that he would treat her how she deserves to be treated. He admires their love.

“Wow, think we could last that long, Eds?” Richie teases. Eddie nearly chokes on his drink.

“Okay, so, fill me in. How did you two meet?” Ben asks.

“I made Eddie sign up for a matchmaker website and the rest is history,” Beverly says.

“Ohhh, right, Eddie said that.”

“I’m still debating whether or not I’m glad I was matched up with Trashmouth, here,” Eddie jokes.

Richie scoffs. “Admit it, you were so overwhelmingly happy when you saw it was someone as pretty as me you didn’t know what to do with yourself.”

“Pfft, keep dreaming.”

_I’m actually so glad it was you—even though I didn’t know you, I think a part of me already did_.

Eddie cringes at his own sappy thoughts.

_Did I really just think that?_

“Wait, so how long have you known each other, then?” Ben says.

Richie and Eddie look at each other, trying to decide how to answer this. Richie lets Eddie answer. “Uh, well the meeting after we were matched together was two days ago, so, not that long.”

“Really? You’ve only met once? You’d’ve convinced me you’ve known each other forever. You two seem fairly close.”

Eddie laughs nervously. “Yeah, I guess you could say we’ve hit it off together.” Beverly looks at him like she knows there’s something more to that.

“Like how I hit it off with your mom?”

Eddie elbows him again. “Shut up. We bond well together.”

They all laugh.

“You two do make a great pair,” Beverly says and winks at them before taking a sip of her drink.

“I completely agree with you on that one,” Richie says. He moves his arm down so that it’s now placed around Eddie. He starts to draw small circles on Eddie’s shoulder with his finger. Chills run through him at that one point of contact.

A little while later their food arrives and they dig in. Oh, and guess what Richie ordered? That’s right; spaghetti. He makes googly eyes at Eddie the whole time while he eats it. Eddie laughs and rolls his eyes at him.

“That was good, but it wasn’t as delicious as you, Eddie,” Richie says once they finish up.

“Oh, really? Because this chicken tasted way better than you,” Eddie replies. Then he realises what he’s just said.

“Tasted?” Beverly asks with a smirk.

“I was kidding,” he says quickly.

“Damn right you were kidding because I taste _amazing_ ,” Richie says.

Everyone groans.

“Welp, I gotta make my way to the little boy’s room. Scoot your cute little ass over, Eds,” Richie orders.

“Yeah, me too,” Ben adds.

Eddie moves to let Richie get out of the booth.

“Y’all don’t have too much fun without us while we’re gone,” Richie jokes.

As they leave, Beverly rests her chin on her hand and smirks at Eddie.

“What?” Eddie rolls his eyes.

“You know what,” she says. “I think he’s pretty cute. And funny. Looks _very_ much to be your type.”

Eddie scoffs. “I didn’t even know I had a ‘type’, how would you know what it is?”

“Oh honey, with the way you’ve been looking at him I think everyone can tell he’s your _type_.”

Eddie’s cheeks heat up. “He’s really something, isn’t he?”

Beverly smiles fondly. “He really is. Although, I was wondering, are you sure you two have only met once? Is there something you’re not telling me?” she teases.

Eddie sighs. “Alright, you caught me. But it was the only way!”

“What was?”

“When we met, I told him that I needed a date for Valentine’s Day because I was gonna be going on a double date and I wanted to make you happy that I found someone, or at least tried to. Then he told me that he was looking for someone to be his fake date because he had an ex that wouldn’t leave him alone so he wanted someone who would help him convince them that he’s moved on. Basically, we made a deal that if I went on this fake date with him, he would come on this double date with me and vice versa. It sounds stupid, but that’s what we agreed on and now here we are.”

“I can’t believe you’re only telling me this now!” She isn’t mad at him, though. Only surprised (and overjoyed) that there’s more to their story that he didn’t tell her. “So, does this mean you’ve been on the fake date already and that’s why you’re already fairly comfortable with each other? Oh my God, how far did you guys even go with it?!”

“Yeah, I guess. It was actually a lot of fun, Bev. I’ll tell you more about it later.”

“Oh man, I can’t wait to hear this story!” she beams. “Will you still see each other after this, though? I really hope you do, I love how you light up around him.”

Eddie looks down and frowns, picks at his nails. “I don’t really know…” _I hope so_. “We haven’t talked about it.”

“Well, I wish you happiness, Eddie.” She smiles at him. Eddie smiles back.

Ben and Richie emerge from the washroom. Richie plops down beside Eddie. He pinches his cheek. “Hey, did you miss me?”

Eddie shrugs him off. “ _So_ much, Rich.”

Richie grins. “I knew it.”

Someone taps the mic on the mini stage up front. “Alright, folks, who’s ready for some karaoke?!” People around them cheer and clap.

Richie smirks at Eddie evilly. “ _Don’t you dare_ ,” Eddie mouths.

“Now, because it’s Valentines Day, we have a special collection of love songs selected for tonight! Who would like to be our first singer of the night?”

Richie’s hand flies up. Eddie sinks down in the booth.

And of course, they pick him. Because no one else raised their hand. Of course.

“Looks like we have our first volunteer! Come on up!”

Richie bounds up to the stage excitedly, at least not dragging Eddie with him. Beverly and Ben cheer for him. Eddie turns to watch him.

He picks through the selection of songs before finally choosing one. Eddie notices a mischievous glint in his eyes.

_Oh God, what is he gonna do?_

The music starts playing and Eddie recognises the song almost instantly. Beverly laughs and hollers.

Richie starts singing, not even having to look at the lyrics. It’s almost like he’s been preparing for this.

_I hear the drums echoing tonight  
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation…_

Eddie laughs at the ridiculousness of it all. He can’t _believe_ he’s doing this. The audience is practically singing along with him.

_…He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"_

Richie does a little dance as the chorus comes around.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_   
_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_   
_I bless the rains down in Africa_   
_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had_

Eddie is absolutely mesmerised by this boy. His singing voice, Eddie will admit, is not that bad. Once the chorus comes around again, that’s when Richie makes his move. He walks off the stage and walks towards Eddie.

_Oh no_.

Richie points at him.

_It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you_

He grabs Eddie’s hand.

_There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do_

Eddie glares daggers at him as he pulls him up while winking at him. Beverly and Ben are laughing and cheering.

_I bless the rains down in Africa_

Eddie is flushing bright red, but he can’t stop his own laughter.

_Gonna take some time to do the things we never had_

Then, still holding his hand, Richie drags Eddie up on stage with him. Eddie grabs the other mic and they sing the remainder of the song together; Richie’s confidence starting to rub off on Eddie. They point and smile at each other as they sing the lyrics and by that point, Eddie forgets the audience is even there. Richie twirls Eddie around.

The song finishes and everyone claps. They walk back to their table. Eddie is high on adrenaline. “I can’t believe we just did that!”

“I think that’s definitely been the highlight of my year, so far,” Beverly says.

“I told you I’d make you come up there with me, Eds.”

“Yeah, and I’m not sure if I hate you for it or not.”

“I think you enjoyed it,” Beverly teases.

“You guys were amazing, that was hilarious!” Ben gushes.

Richie puts his arm around Eddie. “We make _quite_ the duo, don’t we?”

After they’ve calmed down a little bit, the waiter comes with the bill and they head out the door after tipping him.

Richie gives big hugs to Ben and Beverly before they say goodbye to each other.

“It was great meeting you both! I feel honoured to have met you guys.”

“Aww, you too, Richie,” Beverly says. She bounces over to give Eddie a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see ya later then. We need to have another little talk, just us.” She smirks.

Eddie sighs. “We will, I promise.”

Ben and Beverly walk to their car while waving goodbye.

Richie and Eddie yell bye to them, before Richie shouts, “Don’t let things get too wild in the bedroom tonight!”

Eddie hits his arm. “Richie!”

“Ow! What? It _is_ Valentine’s Day.” Richie snickers.

They walk to Richie’s car and he drives Eddie home. Richie talks about how much he enjoyed himself and how he really loved Eddie’s friends. Eddie doesn’t say much, he’s too busy wondering if him and Richie will continue to see each other or not and what will happen after this. He isn’t sure how to bring it up to him, or if he should.

Once they pull up in Eddie’s driveway, Eddie notices that Richie has started to look a little sad. He smiles but it looks kind of forced. “I’ll walk you to your door,” he says.

“Okay…”

They get out of his car and walk up the porch steps. They stop in front of the door. Eddie turns towards him. “Thank you for coming tonight, Richie. I truly did have a fun time and I think Beverly seemed pretty happy for me,” Eddie professes. “I really liked having you there,” he hints, hoping Richie will get the idea that he _wants_ to see him again.

He doesn’t.

“You’re so sweet, Eds. I’m touched.” He puts his hand on his heart.

Silence passes between them as they stand there for a few moments, not knowing what to say or do next. Then, Richie pulls Eddie into a hug. Eddie notices right away how warm he is in comparison to the cold. Eddie buries his face in Richie’s shoulder and wraps his arms around his waist. Eddie softens into the hug; he can feel Richie’s breath tickle his ear. They stand there for a minute before Richie pulls away. Eddie feels the lost of his warmth immediately. He stands there awkwardly, arguing with himself in his head on what to say.

_Do it! Just tell him you want to see him again! He obviously likes you! Now’s your chance!_

“Well, I’ll see you later,” Eddie says and turns towards the door.

_Idiot_.

“Wait.” Richie grabs his arm. Eddie looks at him. “ _Will_ I see you later, though? Because…I mean—our deal—'we don’t have to see each other again after this’.” He makes air quotes with his fingers. “I’ve never been happier than I have in these last two days. I want to see you again, Eddie. But I’m not sure if you wanna see me.”

He pouts. Eddie thinks he looks adorable. “I-”

“And don’t feel like I’m forcing you or anything,” Richie interrupts. “I just—I really…like you.” He smiles self-consciously.

Eddie laughs and shakes his head. “You idiot.”

Richie looks confused. “What?”

“You absolute _dumbass_.” Eddie sighs. “I—I like you, too. And I want to see you again.”

Richie’s face lights up. “Wait, really?”

“Yes!” Eddie takes a step closer to him. He plays with a loose button on Richie’s coat. “Now, please just shut up and _kiss me_ , Trashmouth.”

Richie smiles wide. Eddie smiles back. “Aye aye, Captain!” Richie says. He steps closer before leaning down and bringing their lips together. The kiss is slow and soft and comforting all at once. Eddie pulls him closer and they smile into the kiss. Eddie feels something warm stir in his stomach as their lips part and Eddie knows he wants this for forever. Richie brings a hand up to Eddie’s cheek when they pull away and kisses his forehead. Eddie looks up at him fondly.

“You and those fucking doe eyes,” Richie says. He pushes a strand of Eddie’s hair away. “I’m taking you on a real date next time, just the two of us.”

“What? No more exes to fool? Dang it,” Eddie jokes.

“Your mom, maybe, but I’ve got no one else in mind.”

Eddie laughs. “Gross.”

“I don’t need to fool anyone now that I’ve got everything I want right here.” Richie boops Eddie’s nose. _Again_.

Eddie scrunches his nose. “I still hate that.”

Richie smiles at him. “I know you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that's it! thank you to anyone who read this and i hope you enjoyed it!! i may or may not do one more mini chapter but we'll see what happens :)
> 
> i'd love to hear your feedback!


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